Atlanta based Home Depot reported on Wednesday that it plans to buy "The Home Way" and estabish a retail presence in China.  They expect the deal to close by the end of 2006 and it has already been approved by the Chinese government.  Near the end of 2004, Home Depot had opened a business development office in China to evaluate marketplace strategies and gain consumer insights.The Home Way is a Chinese home improvement retailer with 12 stores located in 6 cities and around 3,000 employees.  Get this:  the Chinese home improvement market has been growing at a compounded annual rate of 20% and is valued at $50 billion. The chairman, president and CEO of Home Depot Bob Nardelli said:  "This acquisition provides us with a great point of entry in one of the world's largest and fastest-growin... 12/15/2006

If you need to buy a new home or sell your existing home, how do you choose your Realtor?  12/12/2006

10 Questions You Need Answers to Before Selling Your Home  1). Where do I start?  First, make sure you're ready to sell, then, determine what the market is doing in your neighborhood. Research what other properties similar to yours have sold for. Then look at what is currently on the market in your neighborhood. Determine how your house compares to these findings in terms of size, features, condition, terms offered, & location. You must be competitive with what others have done and/or are doing. You may want to consider getting a certified appraisal of your property. Typical cost for that is between $300 and $500. A Realtor® can help you with all the research you need. Visit http://www.benefieldrealty.net/ for additional tips.  2). What are the legal ramifications?  Legalities of a real... 12/12/2006

Last night, families in and around the metro area joined together outside the Governor's mansion for the lighting of the Christmas tree.  Governer Purdue said that the tree was the largest one to date weighing in at 2 tons.  The onlookers were entertained by dancers, live music and a tour of the mansion decorated for Christmas. At 6:40 p.m., the switch was thrown and the tree, strung with almost 40,000 lights, was lit. The mansion is open to the public during the holidays. Tours are free.                                                               12/03/2006

In November of 2005 one of the world's largest aquariums opened in Atlanta.  The Georgia Aquarium has more than 100,000 fish and animals from over 500 species. Atlanta officials have announced that Atlanta is having their largest tourism boom since the 1996 Olympics, due mostly in part to the opening of the Aquarium.  Also, the aquarium is 505,000 square feet."The Georgia Aquarium was designed with both entertainment and education in mind," said benefactor Bernie Marcus. "From the very beginning, our team was composed of both ‘fish people' and ‘theatrical designers' who looked at everything from creative positioning of windows to innovative tactile concepts on the walls and the floors."                                                                                There are 5 different ... 12/02/2006

I keep hearing about all of the gloom and doom on the TV and radio.  I hear many agents in my office complaining about their listings not being shown.  But in the last month, we've had 3 buyers get beat out of homes by competing offers.  All of them were in no rush because they thought it was a buyer's market and they were in complete control.  All three of them waited just a bit too long and allowed someone else to come in a buy it.  I've been also getting email inquiries on homes and then finding out they are under contract.  I have a feeling that the market is turning back up.  Interest rates are down, the stock market is up, the Democrats don't seem like they will do too much damage.  The negative for the Atlanta market is the huge number of foreclosures.  There's been about 4000/mo... 11/29/2006

The late Milton Friedman popularized the expression "There's no such thing as a  free lunch".  By listening to some very popular radio ads by an Atlanta mortgage company you would think that anyone who willingly pays closing costs for a mortgage is either an idoit or is being ripped off.  This guy doesn't charge any closing costs.  His mortgages are "free". That guy has to be making a lot of money to pay for all those radio ads.  So where does he make money if he doesn't charge closing costs? Instead of charging closing costs to fund his company, he sells mortgages with higher interest rates that banks will pay a premium for.   It's nothing  special that no one else can do.  Ask any loan officer to quote you a no closing cost mortgage.  They all can.  The question you have to ask is whi... 11/27/2006

As a life long Braves fan, I will always support my home team. However, the Braves don't always get the fan support they deserve from the City of Atlanta.The Braves won 14 straight division titles, a feat that will likely never be matched by any professional sport team...ever, and yet the national media mocks the Braves fan base. The Braves have fielded at least 5 future Hall of Famers over the last 15 years, and still the City of Atlanta gets criticized for not supporting the Braves. The Braves have had multiple MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, ERA Title, Saves Title, and Home Run Title award winners, and the stadium is still rarely packed full. Why doesn't a city of 4 Million+ people better support a super-succesful team?Chicago Cubs sell out every game and they can't win anything. ... 11/21/2006

This past weekend was the Castleberry HillTour of Lofts. If that event got your blood pumping for home tours, you won't have to wait long for the next one. The Morningside Lenox Park Association  is putting on their 2006 Tour of Homes on October 14th and 15th. Tickets are $18 in advance and $23 on the day of the event, and the event will feature stops at 7 homes. 10/09/2006